The Death Thief

Focus

"That must have been why she led Antonov on." The words fell from my mouth before I could even comprehend them and they continued to pour over my lips like a rush of water. "She...she needed a distraction so Derosiers didn't grow suspicious. She played the part of a coy bride, while Matias worked on breaking the bond in secret."

I nibbled on the end of the marker as the picture of that dreadful night started to take focus. "It must have been Derosiers," I mumbled, pacing around the room before taking the seat Everett had vacated.

"How?" The sheriff popped off the table and stood by the board, watching me with amused brown eyes. Some heat touched my cheeks, but I looked away from him and kept my attention on the board.

"I haven't met her yet, but from what I've heard, I don't think Derosiers would muddy her own hands with Calista's blood."

"I agree," said Everett. "Especially because she has an alibi for that night. She was at the salon, getting the full spa treatment. There were plenty of witnesses."

I nodded my head. Her having an alibi wasn't going to throw me. Her reputation preceded her and I was certain she wouldn't have done it on her own.

"She must have compelled Matias. It would have really rubbed the salt in Calista's wounds. In fact..." I thought back to the previous night and the conversation I overheard from my hideaway in the VIP bathroom. "In fact, Calista even thought Matias may have been compelled to do it. She must have been right." I grabbed my forehead and gave it a little shake. Why was I losing sleep over something Calista had already determined? She obviously knew the town better than I, why didn't I just trust her judgment on the matter?

"Well, that would be a truly vicious thing to do and, frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if Bernadette had done that. Thing is, Matias also has an alibi."

I looked up at Everett, who just responded with a shrug.

"I told you, you should just let us handle this," he said, walking over and resting his hip against the side of the table. "I knew about Matias trying to break the bond. He has to get Kyra to help him with that and thanks to our close work relationship, I eventually found out about the whole romantic ordeal. I knew that both he and Bernadette were just as likely to be suspects as you and Bungee, if not more so. Kyra and I checked their alibis after Dragan whisked you away. She was at the salon and Matias was at a dive bar. There's plenty of security footage to support it."

"Dive bar?" I mumbled, turning back to the board.

"Look, I understand that you're feeling overwhelmed with everything right now and you need to make sense of something, but you should really..."

"That's right he told her he was at the bar. She didn't believe him. She had trouble trusting him because of how Derosiers compulsions could affect his memory." I stood up and walked over to the board. I didn't know what I saw there, but things were slowly taking shape.

"You've talked to Calista a lot? I'm surprised she'd be feeling so open with you, considering..."

"No, I overheard her." My eyes squinted as I stared at the board. Something else from that night was taking shape. "She was talking to him at the Nightshade Lounge. She was upset because he was supposed to meet with her the night she died, but he didn't show. He told her he was at the bar."

"Wait," said Everett, popping off the table and joining my side in one quick movement. "What do you mean he was supposed to meet her? She never said anything about that."

"Didn't she say she lost her memories?" The words dripped from my lips. My eyes didn't seek him for an answer. I just kept them on the board.

"Only the last couple hours before her death. Unless they decided to meet up shortly before then, which doesn't make sense, then she should have remembered and she should have told us."

"It was supposed to be a big night," I recalled, my thumb brushing my bottom lip as I pulled the conversation from my head. "She needed to see him. Something was supposed to happen that night. Maybe the bond was supposed to be broken."

"No, Kyra isn't ready yet. Something else must have been happening."

"I...I don't know what though, she didn't say." I sighed and turned away from the board, my eyes tired from my unblinking stare. "She was so upset, it must have been important to her. Maybe that's why Bungee went. Maybe Matias knew he couldn't see her that night and sent Bungee instead."

"Come again?" asked the sheriff, who side stepped so that he stood before me, even bending his knees slightly so he could look me straight in the eye. "What do you mean Bungee was there instead of Matias?"

"Oh, uh," I said with an awkward laugh. "I wasn't suppose to say anything about that."

"Well you did, so you might as well tell me what you know."

"I don't really know anything though, it's only conjecture," I said, turning away from his powerful gaze. "Matias was so angry at Bungee. I found him beating Bungee outside of the diner in the alley with the dumpsters. It sounded like Matias knew Bungee was going to be with Calista that night. He said Bungee failed him. That means he must have asked Bungee for something." When I looked to Everett for a response, I found the large man once again standing at his full height, but his back now faced me. A hand rubbed the back of his neck and he paced without any clear direction.

"Was there anything specific you remember?" he asked, turning back around to face me. "Anything that Bungee or Matias said?"

"Um," I said, my eyes darting back and forth as I looked to the tiled floor for answers. "When I came up to them, Bungee was apologizing. He said he was sorry that instinct took over. That he was really hungry. Then, Matias went off about Bungee failing..."

"Instinct took over," said Everett in a roar as he threw his hands up. "Dammit, why didn't I think of this?"

"Think of what?"

"Matias knew. I don't know how or if he did it, but he knew." He pounded a fist against the table as a few more curses slithered off his tongue.

"Knew what?" I almost felt I knew the answer myself, but it sat just on the tip of clarity, it's form still too fuzzy for me to touch.

"Matias must have sent Bungee out to meet Calista with the intention to bite her. He wasn't supposed to eat her because then she truly would be dead. But if he bit her..."

"Then she'd be brought back to life." The image took focus and I saw the sad truth before me.

"Matias knew Calista was going to die," said Everett with a growl rumbling in his words. "He sent Bungee out there to save her."